Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, met on Thursday in Balkh province with the head of Uzbekistan’s Railway Administration.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Uzbek officials said during the meeting that they plan to build a new 1.5-kilometer railway line at Nayebabad Station along the Hairatan–Mazar-e-Sharif railway route. They also intend to construct several warehouses along the line for loading and unloading goods.

Baradar welcomed the initiative and instructed officials of the Ministry of Public Works to jointly carry out the technical and construction work with the Uzbek side.

The construction of the new railway line and warehouses is expected to increase the capacity of Hairatan Port and provide greater facilities for traders.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, said during an interview that criticism by some circles regarding the marriage separation regulation is not new and should not be given importance by those opposing Islamic principles.

Mujahid said those who accept Islamic laws should have no concerns in this regard, adding that there is no law within the Islamic Emirate that contradicts Islamic Sharia.

The spokesman also stated that under Islamic Sharia and Hanafi jurisprudence, fathers and grandfathers have guardianship and authority over their minor children, provided that they are kind, have no history of cruelty, are free from mental disorders, are not addicted to narcotics, and do not make decisions regarding their children because of poverty.

Mujahid further said that the ruling does not mean granting unrestricted permission to people, but was issued to create ease for the country’s courts so judges can make decisions more easily in such cases.

He stressed that the Supreme Leader has separately ordered that marrying off a girl without her consent is prohibited.

Mujahid added that only in the past year, thousands of cases of forced marriages involving girls were addressed in the courts of the Islamic Emirate and through the complaint-hearing department of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which he said shows the Islamic Emirate’s attention to women’s rights.

The remarks come after the Ministry of Justice recently published the marriage separation regulation. Some circles criticized the regulation, claiming that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan had allowed or facilitated the marriage of underage girls.

China and Russia have pledged closer coordination on Afghanistan, warning that terrorism remains a serious threat to regional and global security. The two nations also called for stronger international cooperation with Kabul.

In a lengthy joint statement issued during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China, Beijing and Moscow said they support Afghanistan’s efforts to eliminate terrorism and stressed that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten neighboring countries or the wider region.

The statement, released following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin in Beijing, said both countries would deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation on Afghan affairs and continue backing regional diplomatic platforms focused on Afghanistan.

China and Russia highlighted mechanisms as important channels for pursuing a political settlement and supporting long-term stability in Afghanistan.

“Both sides attach great importance to and support the positive and constructive role played by regional platforms such as the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of Afghanistan’s Neighboring Countries, the Moscow Format consultations on the Afghan issue, the China-Russia-Pakistan-Iran Quad mechanism, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the political settlement of the Afghan issue,” the statement read.

The two sides also warned that terrorism continues to threaten Afghanistan and surrounding countries, urging regional states and the international community to expand counter-terrorism cooperation with Kabul.

According to the joint statement, both governments support Afghanistan in achieving “lasting peace and stability” and emphasized the importance of regional coordination in addressing security challenges.

The Afghanistan section formed part of a broader China-Russia declaration covering regional security, international conflicts, economic cooperation and opposition to unilateral sanctions.

The statement also addressed developments in the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, while reaffirming support for multilateral organizations including BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

According to the statement, both sides agreed that “the US-Israel military strikes against Iran violated international law and the basic norms of international relations, severely undermining stability in the Middle East.

They emphasized that the parties involved in the conflict should return to dialogue and negotiation as soon as possible to prevent the spread and spillover of the conflict.

They also called on the international community to uphold an objective and impartial stance, promote de-escalation, and jointly safeguard the basic norms of international relations.

In addition, both sides advocated for a lasting ce asefire in Gaza, believing it would contribute to long-term stability and provide unimpeded humanitarian access for all who need it.

“They affirmed that the Palestinian question should be resolved comprehensively, justly, and lastingly based on universally recognized international law and centered on the two-state solution, leading to the establishment of an independent, prosperous, and territorially complete Palestinian state that can coexist peacefully and securely with Israel,” the statement read.